Couldn’t agree more! Like you said, the upgrade that will improve your favorite bike (no matter what material) the most is a nice set of wheels. I think the only other part that could change the feel of a bike more is the tires... only problem there is it can also change it in a bad way even if it’s more expensive, it won’t hurt the wallet as much though :)
I blame Rides of Japan for sending me down the path of perdition! Who I am kidding I was already there! Seriously though light wheels make all the difference. And they don’t have to cost an arm and two legs. ENVE is fantastic, but I am equally pleased with my recycled DTSwiss MTB wheels, shout out to Rides of Japan for suggesting those.
Great video as always. One thing I want to mention, power meters aren’t just for the super high performance racer types. I cycle for fun, base fitness and adventure. I’m also a heavier rider at 88kg. I started using a power meter a few years ago as a pacing tool - it’s taught me a LOT about what kinds of efforts I can sustain over what times on climbs. I don’t always look at it, but for climbing they are so, so useful. For me anyway 👍🏻
I believe that non-racers could use performance gains more. As a weaker cyclist, why not upgrade to make my touring easier? Especially if I’m riding day after day. While at the same time, a pro is still gonna ride like a pro no matter the bike/wheel, as long as it’s the right fit
Great video. As a former Cat 3 racer, I would argue that they're overkill even for your average non-pro racer, but they're definitely fun to ride and very cool.
I used to think wheels didn’t make that much of a difference. Then I was able to score a set of very nice alloy wheels ($1000 USD) for cheap. I put them on my salsa vaya and holy crap, bike felt like a rocket! Ever since then, I’d rather have an alloy frame and carbon wheels than the other way around.
I agree that light wheels can really change a bike, but it doesn't have to be carbon if you are swapping out heavy stock wheels. I run American Classic Wide Lightening 29 MTB wheels on my Jamis Renegade Expert. They weigh about 1500 grams and sold for about $800 (AC has closed up shop so they are no longer available). I run tubeless 40mm gravel tires on my gravel wheels and tubeless 32mm slicks on my road wheels. The wheels are snappy, relatively light and durable. I can swap them back to a MTB if needed. Plus, they didn't cost an arm and a leg...just one arm. 😁
+1. I also have a Renegade. I put HED Belgium+ laced to WI CLD hubs with Sapim D Light spokes. It ran me about $800, but I think prices have risen a bit since. These wheels have transformed the ride. I think I shaved about 400 grams from the wheels. The difference is responsiveness in both handling and acceleration is drastic. If aero isn't a concern, there is no reason to go carbon, especially if you're going to bike pack or tour with it. You can get a really nice pair of wheels for half the cost. OTOH, there are carbon wheel companies that offer stellar carbon hoops for not much more than a nice aluminum pair. November has quite a few carbon options with fancy hubs and spokes that cost half of what the big names charge.
A light wheel set doesn't necessarily change a bike for the better. If you got a heavy bike, then it's great improvement. But if your bike is already light to begin with, it's really just bling. But that Jamis Renegade, my friend had 2 (aluminum & chromo models). I got to test ride them and loved it... so much that I used it's geomentry for my custom Ti frame.
@@benyujr.6545 It isn't something that can be argued. It is a fact. I don't understand the relevance of your mention of cheap and heavy bikes. In any case, going from a 2kg wheelset to a 1500g one will make a difference on any bike. its not just bling
You don't need to go too expensive to get a big improvement, I upgraded the stock wheels on my XC bike to some ZTR Rapid rims laced to SLX hubs and the difference was massive. Felt like I could pedal with half the effort amd go twice the distance.
It sounds as though the gain came from the wheels' light weight rather than from being carbon. I have been using two pairs of aluminum wheels from Neuvation, now Neugent, which weigh just over 1500g and love them. They are a fraction of the cost of either of your carbons which I have always assumed were mostly beneficial at higher speeds because of the aerodynamics rather than climbing. I would appreciate your thoughts.
In 2022, I built a FUN all-road bike on a SOMA Doublecross frame (steel), a Ritchey WCS Carbon Adventure Fork and Boyd CCC 650B alloy wheels. The wheel weight totals 1485 grams. The inside rim width is 25mm. They are “hand crafted” in the USA. Today, in 2024, they cost $725.00. I ride them with 650B x 47mm tires. FUN means explosive acceleration, fast deceleration and quick tight turns.
important note: I know firsthand what that’s like. it makes bikes’ value out of whack. a $5200 carbon bike with the same wheels as the $2400 version? not a pretty picture, and it feels sad.
from my personal experience, i can say that i was never blown away by expensive carbon rental bikes i rode during holidays, they always had rather average or even cheap wheels on them. even the comfort wasnt better than on my aluminium framed, but light and nice carbon wheeled roadbike. and even my 11,5kg steel gravel truck feels lively with a nice set of wheels.
Totally agree to that! The wheels take so much energy when you start rotating them with your muscles. Also the weight of tires and tubes (if there are tubes) . If you choose gravel here in the "Norddeutsches Bauernland" (northern Germany) you often choose the extra large sharp edged farmers gravel (sometimes I think they do not like cyclists here :-D ) and if you take carbon it can end bad soon. That is why I prefer the easy aluminum rims because hitting a stone is tooo expensive and you often hit them hard and bad here. So a custom wheelset is always on the list when a new horse comes but here are some nice companys who built them nice and easy and do not ruin you.
As a clyde, sturdy wheelsets have always been where I put my $$. A bike frame and all the bits are just the connection between your body and the wheels. When I built up my Jones LWB, I popped for some carbon hoops from Indigenous Wheel Co. (Tacoma). Tubeless, the bike weighs less than my singlespeed and feels very spirited. I was very skeptical of carbon rims until I saw the video with Danny MacAskill trying to kill a pair of Santa Cruz carbon wheels. Worth a watch!
I think the lighter wheels feel more spirited because of the affect on micro-accelerations. You accelerate a small amount on each pedal stroke. Wheels that spin up a bit faster are noticed because it’s a pedal stroke by pedal stroke affect. This is why light tires can be transformative as well.
I put i9's on my sequoia and woke it up! Ar25 is a high end aluminum wheel that weighs 1500 grams and only $1200. Best upgrade ever made! Dont need to spend money on low end carbon when you can get high end aluminum wheels for less money and amazing performance
Tony La Scola, those I9’s are great. I’ve had a set of Torch wheels on an MTB for years and the Ar25s on a gravel/cross bike for a while and they are definitely awesome. Best aluminum on the market.
I used to have carbon wheels by Zipp (in 700c for a steel commuter bike) and had to let go as I found it was just too stiff. Really, it was a race wheel. Or you can have it in another way - carbon fork with nice hubs and higher end quality aluminum rims. And I will bet this will be a cheaper setup. Swapped the stock Midnight Special fork (by Surly) to carbon and saved (a whopping) 713gr! Wheels are white industries CLD hubs, pillars spokes on raceface AR30 rims. I cannot say well enough on how this improved the overall feel of the ride. An by the way, while you're at it, get a high tpi set of tires. Again, switched from 2.0 wolverine to 650B Vittoria terreno zero (@320tpi). As soon as I hit the road after the swap, the comfort feel was immediate.
I love the lightness of carbon rims, but the stiffness is a double-edged sword. A straight rim builds to a perfect wheel and stays that way, but the ride can be harsh. If it's added to a carbon fork, it's really fatiguing for my wrists. Now, a carbon rim and a good steel fork with the right amount of flex is bliss.
Russ, could you compare these super expensive wheels to a lightweight, wide alloy rim such as Stan's Crest? They are *almost* as light when it comes to the all-important rotational weight, and yet, at ~$100 a rim MSRP, also affordable for many more cyclists who will never be able to splurge on carbon hoops.
I've just bought a Genesis Day One 10 a few years ago (700 EUR) for my daily commute. This year I spend some bugs for a new wheelset ( 600 EUR). The Day One 10 is a nice and affordable Single Speed Road/Gravel/CX Bike and I ride about 5000 km each year. No need for a new bike I just replace the cheaper parts with nice stuff like White Industries Freewheel and so on..
And to comment about carbon wheels on cheap or heavy bikes and or for people less worried about performance, I would agree that carbon wheels are still a great option. I find that as you said they add a lot of pep to the bike, but one of the interesting things I have noticed with them (being a wheel builder) is that they are normally much more round the true from the factory than even highend aluminum rims are. I have also noticed a pretty big increase with durability (spoke dont fatigue as fast), as well as a big reduction in required maintenance when it comes to turing and tensioning.
You should get a watt / power meter to demonstrate energy saved. For example: with those carbon wheels I did my regular route 20 minutes faster or, did it in the same time but saved 20% of energy input.
If you cant afford carbon but want something light, get a set of stans crest alloy 28 spoke, sapim cx rays and some i9 hubs. Pretty damn light, wide enough but not too wide, and pretty strong, depending on your flange spacing / rim size.
Reduced rotational inertia of the lighter wheels must pay off in terms of accelerating/decelerating, so they spin up and slow down quicker than wheels with heavier rims, so even if it doesn't make your fastest speed faster, it will let you get to your fastest speed quicker.
I have to say though, physics ultimately has the final say. 1500g is about 500g (~1lb) lighter than my $250 wheels. For acceleration the multiplier is 2, so that's like 2lb. Me + bike is well over $200lb, so that's 1% less to accelerate and 0.5% less to climb. Light wheels make the bike feel zippy because the _bike_ is light and moves around under you easier, but the combo of rider + bike is what has to actually move in the end. So light wheels are almost all about making the bike _feel_ zippy and keen, which can be huge in terms of enjoyment, but they're very little about _actually_ climbing much faster.
Wonderful vid! One thing you didn't mention is that for people who bought an actual touring bike (say a Kona Sutra or Salsa Marrakesh), these bikes usually come with bombproof wheels meant to carry a super heavy load. These wheels are quite heavy! They make sense for their intended use - the bike being your home on two wheels for months on end - but if you're going to also be riding that same bike when not touring, then investing in some lighter wheels might make sense. It doesn't even have to be carbon or all that expensive since the OEM hoops are super heavy! If you want you can also put some slightly lighter tires on the lighter wheels, for an even bigger net effect. It can make a big difference on the fun you'll have on the bike when riding unloaded! At least, that's been my experience. Of course, it might be even better to buy a second bike, but that's not always an option ($$$)...
I just bought a really nice set of wheels for my Marrakesh for this reason. Really hoping the performance change inspires me to keep the bike, because damn is it heavy for daily riding or used as a general rode bike.
Always wheels over expensive/light frame and components. always. I am still on my first aluminium framed road bike (geometry and look is perfect), and on a heavy steel gravel bike, but both use a nice set of light carbon wheels. while i even cant meassure a higher outright speed over cheap aluminium wheels, they definitely add that lively zippy something the bikes lack without.
One of the advantages of carbon is getting more volume with out more weight. I have blunt SS rims with 26.6mm internal at 430 grams. For $500 more (each) I can get a Astral Serpentine with 30mm internal but only 400 grams. If less weight is all that matters you can get a 23mm internal Crest mk3 rim for less than the blunt but list weight is only 364 grams in alloy. Worth considering weather it's just a matter of weight or is width important to you.
My budget won't stretch to carbon at the moment, but after breaking a couple of spokes on the OEM WTB rear wheel that came on my Fuji Jari, I bought a set of Hunt 4 Season wheels, they were very reasonably priced (just under £300) and even though they were slightly wider than the stock wheels they weighed around 600 grams less. The difference is night and day, they get up to speed quicker and are much stronger than the original wheels.
the funny thing is you can buy carbon wheels for a fraction of the price on aliexpress and build them up with quality hubs and spokes and you will be set minus the lifetime warranty
Being a tourist, ex-racer, commuter, mechanic and wheel builder, equating the cheap Chinese carbon wheels (or other products for that matter) with current high end products is a false equivalency. Yeah, the cheap "copies" give many of the same benefits, but, like a Walmart bike that shifts and rolls down the road, there is a significant quality control and refined ride quality and reliability that you don't get in the knock-offs. There are good Chinese wheels, like other parts. But, the good Chinese wheels also cost more.
100% agree. Doesn't even have to be carbon. I bought some (second hand) Crankbrothers Zinc 3 wheels for my rather humble Kona Sutra AL. Made a world of difference, even though the Zinc's aren't super light. Not sure if its just the better hub bearings, the hole-less (and thus tape-less) tubeless ready rims or if the sum is greater than the parts.
I am a convert. I don't think there is any limit of how they can improve the ride/experience any moderately good frame. I have Rolf carbon 650b rims with Rene Hersh Babyshoe pass extra-light 42mm tires and the combination is smooth! I feel like I get all the suppleness of those tires but they still feel fast and responsive--even at low pressure. They definitely can erase some of the weight penalty of a wide internal rim wheel. I rode 1850 feet of elevation in Tahoe national Forest yesterday. I never got tired of how I felt going up hill on those carbon wheels.
I never thought about carbon wheels, other than they would crumble under me. At 235 pounds, " not sterling", whatever would someone think? Interesting.
I built up a set of Light bicycle AR46 carbon rims w/ Bitex hubs and CX-RAY aero spokes for my Trek Boone that cost about $650 complete. Aside from them making the bike look absolutely gorgeous and racy, but living in S. Florida where most of my riding is a mix of road and Everglades canal routes where there is no trees or shelter from the wind/rain/sun. The aero profile does help where the wind is always present. They have a very respectable weight (1515g). Worth every penny as an upgrade! However, I didn't actually build them for S. Florida. I am moving to Belgium in under 2 weeks for work, and I know (because I've lived there before) that aero has value there as well, and I will be riding a lot of cobble/gravel there as well. Additionally, I bought a GT Peace Tour frame from Nashbar clearance a few years ago which has proven to be an awesome commuter, and I actually chose that bike to take on a 350mi gravel charity ride because of how the bikes were being transported. My first ride w/ these wheels were on the GT and it really made the bike look amazing as well w/ the thin leg carbon fork, small tubing, and deep dish wheels (46mm)!
I ride carbon on my MTB and love them. I'll probably swap my alloy hoops for carbon on my gravel/commuter when I can get more than 10 miles a month out of it. PS. Carbon is pretty tough. You should see my Bontrager Line Pro 30s after all the cobblestone tech trails I've smashed them through.
I say, if you can spare the money (mortgage payment) it's a great way to improve a bikes feel. Color me green. But in some instances for that kind of money you can find a complete bike that satisfies that N+1 addiction.
I have a set of the Hunt 650b Carbon wheels that I sometimes use on my Open. I think they're good wheels for the price but they won't compare to the ENVE and I'm not sure about the Irwin. Looking at the specs, the hubs on the Irwin look similar to Hunt but the Irwin is a deeper wheel. Keep in mind that Hunt are Chinese wheels usually with Novatech hubs. Also, there's a lot to be said about well made wheels/hubs even if they're aluminium. I have a set of DTSwiss GR1600 700c wheels that I bought while I was waiting for XDR freehubs for other wheels. The wheels are heavy but they ride very nice, especially with supple tires like Rene-Herse. I'll probably buy or have all future wheels built with DTSwiss hubs going forward.
Pip Bingemann For price, strength, quality and warranty, it's hard to beat Santa Cruz Reserve wheels. I wouldnt buy any carbon rim without a great warranty!
Thanks for making this video, Russ. I would also love to hear your thoughts on carbon wheels like these vs high end (albeit cheaper than carbon) alloy options. Curious to see if the performance differences come mainly from weight, or the actual difference in material. Cheers!
I would recommend you try a power meter. Much like the carbon wheels, they are incredibly useful for non competitive cyclists. For longer rides, a big benefit is making sure you don't cycle too hard, especially on climbs, so at the end of the day you still feel fresh.
On a previous video, you interviewed with an expert about the supple tires and the importance. I did remember he noted that the rim size width should be very close to the tire width size of the rubber. After looking at my bike I noticed my rim width if I am lucky is 50% of the tire width. Mountain bike. I can not pay for the cost of the carbon fiber rims you showed but I would like to see a review on after market rims that are wider or wide enough to fit the tire based on the percentage ratio of closer to the 95% or what ever is available that will give you the supple ride we are all looking for. Hopefully not as expensive as the carbon fiber rims. Wow, are they expensive.
I changed my Sequoia to DT Swiss CR 1600. There was a "perceived" noticeable difference. This is the same wheel set on the 2018 Warbird. The stock wheels are the Sequioa are very heavy. The CR 1600 are tubeless and the 350 hub is nice enough for me. Weight limits should be of concern for bikes we like to pack with lots of stuff. CR 1600's can take 285 pounds which handles what I tend to carry on trips. I plan to get the ER 1600's on my road bike that can handle north of 260. I agree w/ @impalpablestate ~ right what you can afford.
New wheels all the way I have a 2019 Norco Fluid HT4. Replaced the stock no name wheels with a set of alloy Spank oozy wheels hope pro 4 hubs and 2.8 maxxis rekons it's not even the same bike.
I've been considering a wheelset upgrade for a bit and I've been hoping to find used, but I'm learning about all the different hub spacing standards which can be a real pain.
The ENVE G27's are sick. I like Chris King hubs but the preload just turns me off. I had preload on my older set of Boyd Road wheels and it was so annoying. I recommend the Industry Nine or the ENVE Road Hubs with the G27's with the no-hassle preload. Having a that annoying play in a wheel just eats at me, I can still remember the trauma.
As usual, another awesome video. I've often dreamed of upgrading my cheap bicycle to premium, better performing components. But to paraphrase another piece of wisdom that you've shared, my Budweiser budget just won't support my champagne dreams. Still, you have earned my trust with your reviews in the past, so if the budget does allow at some point, I should at least give some credence to the idea that high end wheels are a meaningful and noticeable upgrade.
It would be interesting to see what the Warbird wheel do for the Aventon. It might be nice to upgrade the wheels without spending the price of a ten year old car.
Well Done, Bike Professor Roca! Appreciate your keeping it real. Since I do hope to retire someday, I don't think carbon could ever become my priority...and I like to keep my bicycle equipment fairly simple (at this time in my life). Who knows what the future holds though? And I will certainly reference this informative video. :-)
Hey, carbon wheels are cool. I'd also like to see a mid range wheel upgrade. Like $600-$1000 wheels worth looking at. I've considered velocity but would like to hear from the guru
I have carbon zipp 650b on my diverge. I can tell the difference immediately between them and my zipp 30 course. The hubs are the same 77/177 for the zipps. The 650b with Donnelly MSO 42mm is more compliant and forgiving compared to the 700c with the same size MSO tires. I now have the Pathfinder pro 47mm on 650b and 42mm on my 700c. I prefer the 650b carbon. . I noticed that Specialized power saddle. How do you like it? Have you done a review on it?
Does it makes sense? Yes and No. I've restored a 1984 Miele L.S. 2x6 with shimano caliper brakes. Ambrose made in italy single wall rims. I'm riding a $400 a pair of Mavix rims with Deore M610 hubs. It rides like a dream for a vintage bike. Never owned or road a road bike before. Answer: YES!
Its also worth discovering Light Bicycle (lightbicycle.com), I have own multiple wheels from them and have build about 20 pairs for other people. I'm in no way affiliated with them but I can tell you that they are solid. Nextie (Nextie.com) are also decent.
Thanks again for the great video Russ! I've been tossing around the idea of getting a new wheelset for quite sometime now and I'm still indecisive lol...More specifically I've been thinking about going to 27.5 from the stock 29er on my Sutra. Ideally I'd like to try out a set before buying but I just don't see any options to do so. With your new found perspective on carbon wheels, will you be running them from here on out? How would you feel going back to alloy permanently?
Given that most of my riding is either commuting or bikepacking -- how much difference does shaving hundreds of grams from the rims make when the bike is at 50 lbs or more due to load?
What are your thoughts on high quality carbon vs high quality aluminium? I've been considering White Industries XMR hubs laced to Velocity Blunt SS rims because if they are alumuminn and they get dinged in the middle of no where I can still limp home. But at a price of $1,000 I could also get some mid to upper mid grade carbon hoops. If my budget was around $1,000 would it make better sense to get the best aluminum wheels or solid mid grade carbon?
Misleading title, although through no fault of Russ. It should read "SUPER expensive wheelsets"; considering how much the wheelsets in the video cost. Expensive wheelsets could mean a $600-900 wheelset, considering the large spectrum of price/quality ratio of wheelsets out there. Eg: I'm not convinced there would be any perceptible differences from Russ' wheelsets to my ~$630 Token Prime G23AR Dark Alloy Disc Gravel Wheelset in 700c. (I tried similar carbon wheelsets so have experience on both).
Have I tried carbon wheels? Never thought of it! Now, much further down the road.....maybe. On gravel,... fascinating! What about for foldable, E-Bikes?
Noticed you were running 650b wheels on the 700c Warbird. How do you feel about 650b vs 700c wheels on that bike? I have the latter and am considering switching to the former. Thanks.
Just getting better hubs can make a big difference. This year I went from a cup/cone wheelset to a sealed bearing wheelset and noticed not only was a riding faster, but when I wasn't pedalling I was coasting longer. Just having that lower friction made the bike roll so much easier. Subtracting more weight would just add to the experience.
Another case of the body snatchers? 🤔 Who is this talking from within the shell of our favourite retro-grouch Russco? 😜 Seriously, thanks for another enlightening instalment...about lightening, less so my bicycle, and more my bank account. First t’was custom steel frame (a la Breadwinner), Yokozuna brakes, now it’s carbon spinners. Oh boy...🥳
Cool Video man. I just noticed the TRP Spyre brakes on one the bikes. I have them too on my steel commuter bike. I changed after not beeing satisfied with a similar avid brake. The TRP is not really better. Are mechanical disc brakes just so bad? I don't see why they should be but my experience is well below average. Not only compared to hydraulic discs but also to rim brakes. Is this your experience too? I'm a decent bike mechanic so setup is not an issue. I also tried different pads and discs but improvement was marginal if any.
Funny fact. You can easily get 650b aluminium gravel wheels at around 1500 grams, no problems, yes a 100-150 g loss But it will make the same change. And it will save you money, lots of it. Specialized is kbown for putting pathetic wheels on their midrange carbon bikes. Carbon diverge comes with hoops that are around 2 kg, you can get 1600 gram aluminium set no problems…
Good to know! I wonder if since the bikes you tend to like have disc brakes and ability to take a load - ie. are stiff - whether cheaper wheels with a lithe frame yields similar results!
@@adhunt1 I think it's sort of like deciding between riding a bike wearing a heavy backpack, or riding a bike with muddy tires. Most people would probably find that riding with a few kilos in a backpack still feels faster and more nimble/comfortable than trying to handle a bicycle with even a few hundred grams of mud per wheel. That is, assuming the lighter wheels themselves are stiff enough and properly built; which is easier to achieve with stiff CF rims.
I have $650 carbon wheels from ICAN. They are for a road bike, not a gravel bike (I dont have one unfortunately). My two bikes are carbon but kind of entry level carbon. I felt a difference immediately. I am not sure about durability. I had a set of Yoeleo, same price, same feel, but they had cracks around the nipple holes after 12,000 miles, so now I have good alloy wheels on that bike. Their customer service is shit. Avoid them. I would definitely consider $$$ wheels/hubs with a lifetime warranty.
Why 650b? Is it purely the width? If it's not for running slightly wider tires on the same frame, then I don't really get it. Seems like running 700x50 would be as good if not better (again, assuming needing 650 forna wider tire than the frame allows for 700).
I own carbon wheels designed for road, gravel, and mtb. Carbon (and high engagement hubs) when road racing is meaningful, largely for aerodynamics. Carbon wheels for gravel are nice but mostly about looks and status. The larger volume tire completely ruins any aerodynamic benefit. Carbon wheels for mtb make sense if you ride lots of elevation or want to race. Unless you’re at a healthy weight losing just 5-10 lbs will yield greater enjoyment than buying carbon wheels.
Path Less Pedaled I’m guessing you don’t ride much technical singletrack/mtb. Rapid acceleration is required in mtb that’s rarely necessary for gravel. Steep technical climbs or features make winding up rotating mass as fast as possible more important. Even for mtb, carbon wheels are minimally important. I’d say rapid rear hub engagement matters more but nowadays that usually comes with carbon hoops. Also, getting the bike off the ground is an integral part of mtb so I’d say there are additional benefits to weight savings that aren’t nearly as important to gravel/mixed surface riding.
6:42 instead of a $2000 nice set of wheels there is an alternative - I added a motor... :-) On a more serious note, after you've swapped out the nice wheels and ridden your stock wheels for a couple of weeks, do you still miss the nice wheels?
A problem with the expensive carbon wheelsets is they are usually hookeless rims. IF you are using Compass tyres or tubeless tires hookless rims are higher risk for blowing off tyres. Cheap alloy wheelsets tubeless are pretty much all hooked
Thanks for the review, I definitely like the ENVE rims and agree i27 is the perfect width for a 42-48c tire width. I also think getting a wider carbon rim would maintain a better supple feel as opposed to narrow rims with light 💡 bulb shape tires mounted. My only concern is the lack of give with carbon rims. As we know aluminum rims provide some vibration damping, especially 3x lacing and thinner db spokes. I’m not sure if you’ve seen my Seven Evergreen SL bike but it’s built for comfort and all day rides, I’ll never enter a race and will just be touring the Philippines with it, maybe some bike packing. I have Stan’s Crest rims and Teravail 700x38c tires. I’m considering a 650c wheel with wider inner rim width i27 to i30. I’ve used Velocity Blunts and Blunt SS, they’re really soft but easily damaged, so maybe carbon is the way to go. Keep posted your great VLOGs and thanks again
expensive is different for everyone. For me spending 200$ on a wheel is expensive.Rather the wheel is aluminum steel or carbon..i think if someones wants to upgrade cheaper bikes its their business and they see value in it. Not really for anyone to determine it for them..my comment sounds like im mad and going off,but im not..lol..just clearing that up :D
Did you notice any difference in the sound? I have family that are very into racing and have always noticed at races that carbon wheels are very loud. That said having borrowed their wheels occasionally the difference is dramatic.
Couldn’t agree more!
Like you said, the upgrade that will improve your favorite bike (no matter what material) the most is a nice set of wheels.
I think the only other part that could change the feel of a bike more is the tires... only problem there is it can also change it in a bad way even if it’s more expensive, it won’t hurt the wallet as much though :)
Right on. I would add tubeless to the tire part.
Extralite
I blame Rides of Japan for sending me down the path of perdition! Who I am kidding I was already there! Seriously though light wheels make all the difference. And they don’t have to cost an arm and two legs. ENVE is fantastic, but I am equally pleased with my recycled DTSwiss MTB wheels, shout out to Rides of Japan for suggesting those.
Great video as always. One thing I want to mention, power meters aren’t just for the super high performance racer types. I cycle for fun, base fitness and adventure. I’m also a heavier rider at 88kg. I started using a power meter a few years ago as a pacing tool - it’s taught me a LOT about what kinds of efforts I can sustain over what times on climbs. I don’t always look at it, but for climbing they are so, so useful. For me anyway 👍🏻
I believe that non-racers could use performance gains more. As a weaker cyclist, why not upgrade to make my touring easier? Especially if I’m riding day after day.
While at the same time, a pro is still gonna ride like a pro no matter the bike/wheel, as long as it’s the right fit
Great video. As a former Cat 3 racer, I would argue that they're overkill even for your average non-pro racer, but they're definitely fun to ride and very cool.
I used to think wheels didn’t make that much of a difference. Then I was able to score a set of very nice alloy wheels ($1000 USD) for cheap. I put them on my salsa vaya and holy crap, bike felt like a rocket! Ever since then, I’d rather have an alloy frame and carbon wheels than the other way around.
I agree that light wheels can really change a bike, but it doesn't have to be carbon if you are swapping out heavy stock wheels. I run American Classic Wide Lightening 29 MTB wheels on my Jamis Renegade Expert. They weigh about 1500 grams and sold for about $800 (AC has closed up shop so they are no longer available). I run tubeless 40mm gravel tires on my gravel wheels and tubeless 32mm slicks on my road wheels. The wheels are snappy, relatively light and durable. I can swap them back to a MTB if needed. Plus, they didn't cost an arm and a leg...just one arm. 😁
+1. I also have a Renegade. I put HED Belgium+ laced to WI CLD hubs with Sapim D Light spokes. It ran me about $800, but I think prices have risen a bit since. These wheels have transformed the ride. I think I shaved about 400 grams from the wheels. The difference is responsiveness in both handling and acceleration is drastic. If aero isn't a concern, there is no reason to go carbon, especially if you're going to bike pack or tour with it. You can get a really nice pair of wheels for half the cost. OTOH, there are carbon wheel companies that offer stellar carbon hoops for not much more than a nice aluminum pair. November has quite a few carbon options with fancy hubs and spokes that cost half of what the big names charge.
A light wheel set doesn't necessarily change a bike for the better. If you got a heavy bike, then it's great improvement. But if your bike is already light to begin with, it's really just bling.
But that Jamis Renegade, my friend had 2 (aluminum & chromo models). I got to test ride them and loved it... so much that I used it's geomentry for my custom Ti frame.
@@benyujr.6545 It's actually the reverse. The heavier the bike and rider combined, the less noticeable each gram of weight on a spinning wheel.
@node, not in my experience. Besides, if you think about it, what is the common thing with cheap bikes... they are usually the heavy ones.
@@benyujr.6545 It isn't something that can be argued. It is a fact. I don't understand the relevance of your mention of cheap and heavy bikes. In any case, going from a 2kg wheelset to a 1500g one will make a difference on any bike. its not just bling
You have hit the mark yet again on a subject I wanted to know about! The long term review is highly appreciated. Wow love your videos
You don't need to go too expensive to get a big improvement, I upgraded the stock wheels on my XC bike to some ZTR Rapid rims laced to SLX hubs and the difference was massive. Felt like I could pedal with half the effort amd go twice the distance.
It sounds as though the gain came from the wheels' light weight rather than from being carbon. I have been using two pairs of aluminum wheels from Neuvation, now Neugent, which weigh just over 1500g and love them. They are a fraction of the cost of either of your carbons which I have always assumed were mostly beneficial at higher speeds because of the aerodynamics rather than climbing. I would appreciate your thoughts.
In 2022, I built a FUN all-road bike on a SOMA Doublecross frame (steel), a Ritchey WCS Carbon Adventure Fork and Boyd CCC 650B alloy wheels. The wheel weight totals 1485 grams. The inside rim width is 25mm. They are “hand crafted” in the USA. Today, in 2024, they cost $725.00. I ride them with 650B x 47mm tires. FUN means explosive acceleration, fast deceleration and quick tight turns.
This video is exactly why I keep watching this channel
I would love to see/partake in a test comparing boutique bikes with average wheels to a mid-level bike with these sorts of wheelsets!
important note: I know firsthand what that’s like. it makes bikes’ value out of whack. a $5200 carbon bike with the same wheels as the $2400 version? not a pretty picture, and it feels sad.
from my personal experience, i can say that i was never blown away by expensive carbon rental bikes i rode during holidays, they always had rather average or even cheap wheels on them. even the comfort wasnt better than on my aluminium framed, but light and nice carbon wheeled roadbike. and even my 11,5kg steel gravel truck feels lively with a nice set of wheels.
Totally agree to that! The wheels take so much energy when you start rotating them with your muscles. Also the weight of tires and tubes (if there are tubes) . If you choose gravel here in the "Norddeutsches Bauernland" (northern Germany) you often choose the extra large sharp edged farmers gravel (sometimes I think they do not like cyclists here :-D ) and if you take carbon it can end bad soon. That is why I prefer the easy aluminum rims because hitting a stone is tooo expensive and you often hit them hard and bad here. So a custom wheelset is always on the list when a new horse comes but here are some nice companys who built them nice and easy and do not ruin you.
As a clyde, sturdy wheelsets have always been where I put my $$. A bike frame and all the bits are just the connection between your body and the wheels. When I built up my Jones LWB, I popped for some carbon hoops from Indigenous Wheel Co. (Tacoma). Tubeless, the bike weighs less than my singlespeed and feels very spirited. I was very skeptical of carbon rims until I saw the video with Danny MacAskill trying to kill a pair of Santa Cruz carbon wheels. Worth a watch!
I think the lighter wheels feel more spirited because of the affect on micro-accelerations. You accelerate a small amount on each pedal stroke. Wheels that spin up a bit faster are noticed because it’s a pedal stroke by pedal stroke affect. This is why light tires can be transformative as well.
I put i9's on my sequoia and woke it up! Ar25 is a high end aluminum wheel that weighs 1500 grams and only $1200. Best upgrade ever made! Dont need to spend money on low end carbon when you can get high end aluminum wheels for less money and amazing performance
Tony La Scola, those I9’s are great. I’ve had a set of Torch wheels on an MTB for years and the Ar25s on a gravel/cross bike for a while and they are definitely awesome. Best aluminum on the market.
I used to have carbon wheels by Zipp (in 700c for a steel commuter bike) and had to let go as I found it was just too stiff. Really, it was a race wheel. Or you can have it in another way - carbon fork with nice hubs and higher end quality aluminum rims. And I will bet this will be a cheaper setup. Swapped the stock Midnight Special fork (by Surly) to carbon and saved (a whopping) 713gr! Wheels are white industries CLD hubs, pillars spokes on raceface AR30 rims. I cannot say well enough on how this improved the overall feel of the ride. An by the way, while you're at it, get a high tpi set of tires. Again, switched from 2.0 wolverine to 650B Vittoria terreno zero (@320tpi). As soon as I hit the road after the swap, the comfort feel was immediate.
Spoke tension on carbon rims is much higher vs one on alloy rims.
I love the lightness of carbon rims, but the stiffness is a double-edged sword. A straight rim builds to a perfect wheel and stays that way, but the ride can be harsh. If it's added to a carbon fork, it's really fatiguing for my wrists. Now, a carbon rim and a good steel fork with the right amount of flex is bliss.
Russ, could you compare these super expensive wheels to a lightweight, wide alloy rim such as Stan's Crest? They are *almost* as light when it comes to the all-important rotational weight, and yet, at ~$100 a rim MSRP, also affordable for many more cyclists who will never be able to splurge on carbon hoops.
I've just bought a Genesis Day One 10 a few years ago (700 EUR) for my daily commute. This year I spend some bugs for a new wheelset ( 600 EUR). The Day One 10 is a nice and affordable Single Speed Road/Gravel/CX Bike and I ride about 5000 km each year. No need for a new bike I just replace the cheaper parts with nice stuff like White Industries Freewheel and so on..
Amen! One of the biggest, easiest upgrades to ANY bike you can do!!!
And to comment about carbon wheels on cheap or heavy bikes and or for people less worried about performance, I would agree that carbon wheels are still a great option. I find that as you said they add a lot of pep to the bike, but one of the interesting things I have noticed with them (being a wheel builder) is that they are normally much more round the true from the factory than even highend aluminum rims are. I have also noticed a pretty big increase with durability (spoke dont fatigue as fast), as well as a big reduction in required maintenance when it comes to turing and tensioning.
Thanks, this clip helped me decide if carbon wheels would make a difference and not only help my ego.
To my mind, riding Chris King hubs and ENVE hoops are like having a super power.
You should get a watt / power meter to demonstrate energy saved.
For example: with those carbon wheels I did my regular route 20 minutes faster or, did it in the same time but saved 20% of energy input.
If you cant afford carbon but want something light, get a set of stans crest alloy 28 spoke, sapim cx rays and some i9 hubs. Pretty damn light, wide enough but not too wide, and pretty strong, depending on your flange spacing / rim size.
Reduced rotational inertia of the lighter wheels must pay off in terms of accelerating/decelerating, so they spin up and slow down quicker than wheels with heavier rims, so even if it doesn't make your fastest speed faster, it will let you get to your fastest speed quicker.
I have to say though, physics ultimately has the final say. 1500g is about 500g (~1lb) lighter than my $250 wheels. For acceleration the multiplier is 2, so that's like 2lb. Me + bike is well over $200lb, so that's 1% less to accelerate and 0.5% less to climb.
Light wheels make the bike feel zippy because the _bike_ is light and moves around under you easier, but the combo of rider + bike is what has to actually move in the end. So light wheels are almost all about making the bike _feel_ zippy and keen, which can be huge in terms of enjoyment, but they're very little about _actually_ climbing much faster.
Wonderful vid! One thing you didn't mention is that for people who bought an actual touring bike (say a Kona Sutra or Salsa Marrakesh), these bikes usually come with bombproof wheels meant to carry a super heavy load. These wheels are quite heavy! They make sense for their intended use - the bike being your home on two wheels for months on end - but if you're going to also be riding that same bike when not touring, then investing in some lighter wheels might make sense. It doesn't even have to be carbon or all that expensive since the OEM hoops are super heavy! If you want you can also put some slightly lighter tires on the lighter wheels, for an even bigger net effect. It can make a big difference on the fun you'll have on the bike when riding unloaded! At least, that's been my experience. Of course, it might be even better to buy a second bike, but that's not always an option ($$$)...
I just bought a really nice set of wheels for my Marrakesh for this reason. Really hoping the performance change inspires me to keep the bike, because damn is it heavy for daily riding or used as a general rode bike.
Always wheels over expensive/light frame and components. always. I am still on my first aluminium framed road bike (geometry and look is perfect), and on a heavy steel gravel bike, but both use a nice set of light carbon wheels. while i even cant meassure a higher outright speed over cheap aluminium wheels, they definitely add that lively zippy something the bikes lack without.
One of the advantages of carbon is getting more volume with out more weight. I have blunt SS rims with 26.6mm internal at 430 grams. For $500 more (each) I can get a Astral Serpentine with 30mm internal but only 400 grams. If less weight is all that matters you can get a 23mm internal Crest mk3 rim for less than the blunt but list weight is only 364 grams in alloy. Worth considering weather it's just a matter of weight or is width important to you.
My budget won't stretch to carbon at the moment, but after breaking a couple of spokes on the OEM WTB rear wheel that came on my Fuji Jari, I bought a set of Hunt 4 Season wheels, they were very reasonably priced (just under £300) and even though they were slightly wider than the stock wheels they weighed around 600 grams less. The difference is night and day, they get up to speed quicker and are much stronger than the original wheels.
the funny thing is you can buy carbon wheels for a fraction of the price on aliexpress and build them up with quality hubs and spokes and you will be set minus the lifetime warranty
Being a tourist, ex-racer, commuter, mechanic and wheel builder, equating the cheap Chinese carbon wheels (or other products for that matter) with current high end products is a false equivalency. Yeah, the cheap "copies" give many of the same benefits, but, like a Walmart bike that shifts and rolls down the road, there is a significant quality control and refined ride quality and reliability that you don't get in the knock-offs. There are good Chinese wheels, like other parts. But, the good Chinese wheels also cost more.
100% agree. Doesn't even have to be carbon. I bought some (second hand) Crankbrothers Zinc 3 wheels for my rather humble Kona Sutra AL. Made a world of difference, even though the Zinc's aren't super light. Not sure if its just the better hub bearings, the hole-less (and thus tape-less) tubeless ready rims or if the sum is greater than the parts.
I am a convert. I don't think there is any limit of how they can improve the ride/experience any moderately good frame. I have Rolf carbon 650b rims with Rene Hersh Babyshoe pass extra-light 42mm tires and the combination is smooth! I feel like I get all the suppleness of those tires but they still feel fast and responsive--even at low pressure. They definitely can erase some of the weight penalty of a wide internal rim wheel. I rode 1850 feet of elevation in Tahoe national Forest yesterday. I never got tired of how I felt going up hill on those carbon wheels.
I never thought about carbon wheels, other than they would crumble under me.
At 235 pounds, " not sterling", whatever would someone think?
Interesting.
We're in the same boat, Henry. It's difficult to get maximum weight ratings for wheelsets of different branded components too.
I built up a set of Light bicycle AR46 carbon rims w/ Bitex hubs and CX-RAY aero spokes for my Trek Boone that cost about $650 complete. Aside from them making the bike look absolutely gorgeous and racy, but living in S. Florida where most of my riding is a mix of road and Everglades canal routes where there is no trees or shelter from the wind/rain/sun. The aero profile does help where the wind is always present. They have a very respectable weight (1515g). Worth every penny as an upgrade!
However, I didn't actually build them for S. Florida. I am moving to Belgium in under 2 weeks for work, and I know (because I've lived there before) that aero has value there as well, and I will be riding a lot of cobble/gravel there as well.
Additionally, I bought a GT Peace Tour frame from Nashbar clearance a few years ago which has proven to be an awesome commuter, and I actually chose that bike to take on a 350mi gravel charity ride because of how the bikes were being transported. My first ride w/ these wheels were on the GT and it really made the bike look amazing as well w/ the thin leg carbon fork, small tubing, and deep dish wheels (46mm)!
I ride carbon on my MTB and love them. I'll probably swap my alloy hoops for carbon on my gravel/commuter when I can get more than 10 miles a month out of it.
PS. Carbon is pretty tough. You should see my Bontrager Line Pro 30s after all the cobblestone tech trails I've smashed them through.
By far the worst thing about riding those very high-end wheels is going back to an everday wheelset...
Yeah. Bit of a let down.
I say, if you can spare the money (mortgage payment) it's a great way to improve a bikes feel. Color me green. But in some instances for that kind of money you can find a complete bike that satisfies that N+1 addiction.
A Wise Man once said "If you ain't got no rimz, don't get no wood grain steerin' wheel".
@pathlesspedaled have you demo’d the hunt 650b carbon wheelset? Curious on your thoughts. Love your channel.
I have a set of the Hunt 650b Carbon wheels that I sometimes use on my Open. I think they're good wheels for the price but they won't compare to the ENVE and I'm not sure about the Irwin. Looking at the specs, the hubs on the Irwin look similar to Hunt but the Irwin is a deeper wheel. Keep in mind that Hunt are Chinese wheels usually with Novatech hubs. Also, there's a lot to be said about well made wheels/hubs even if they're aluminium. I have a set of DTSwiss GR1600 700c wheels that I bought while I was waiting for XDR freehubs for other wheels. The wheels are heavy but they ride very nice, especially with supple tires like Rene-Herse. I'll probably buy or have all future wheels built with DTSwiss hubs going forward.
Pip Bingemann For price, strength, quality and warranty, it's hard to beat Santa Cruz Reserve wheels. I wouldnt buy any carbon rim without a great warranty!
Thanks for making this video, Russ. I would also love to hear your thoughts on carbon wheels like these vs high end (albeit cheaper than carbon) alloy options. Curious to see if the performance differences come mainly from weight, or the actual difference in material. Cheers!
Wheels are probably the best, most noticeable upgrade you can put on a bike.
I would recommend you try a power meter. Much like the carbon wheels, they are incredibly useful for non competitive cyclists. For longer rides, a big benefit is making sure you don't cycle too hard, especially on climbs, so at the end of the day you still feel fresh.
On a previous video, you interviewed with an expert about the supple tires and the importance. I did remember he noted that the rim size width should be very close to the tire width size of the rubber. After looking at my bike I noticed my rim width if I am lucky is 50% of the tire width. Mountain bike. I can not pay for the cost of the carbon fiber rims you showed but I would like to see a review on after market rims that are wider or wide enough to fit the tire based on the percentage ratio of closer to the 95% or what ever is available that will give you the supple ride we are all looking for. Hopefully not as expensive as the carbon fiber rims. Wow, are they expensive.
I changed my Sequoia to DT Swiss CR 1600. There was a "perceived" noticeable difference. This is the same wheel set on the 2018 Warbird. The stock wheels are the Sequioa are very heavy. The CR 1600 are tubeless and the 350 hub is nice enough for me. Weight limits should be of concern for bikes we like to pack with lots of stuff. CR 1600's can take 285 pounds which handles what I tend to carry on trips. I plan to get the ER 1600's on my road bike that can handle north of 260. I agree w/ @impalpablestate ~ right what you can afford.
New wheels all the way I have a 2019 Norco Fluid HT4. Replaced the stock no name wheels with a set of alloy Spank oozy wheels hope pro 4 hubs and 2.8 maxxis rekons it's not even the same bike.
Sounds like a test for GCN to make
I've been considering a wheelset upgrade for a bit and I've been hoping to find used, but I'm learning about all the different hub spacing standards which can be a real pain.
Personally running a fancy carbon wheel set on my Warakin and I gotta say the result is lively and fun.
The ENVE G27's are sick. I like Chris King hubs but the preload just turns me off. I had preload on my older set of Boyd Road wheels and it was so annoying. I recommend the Industry Nine or the ENVE Road Hubs with the G27's with the no-hassle preload. Having a that annoying play in a wheel just eats at me, I can still remember the trauma.
As usual, another awesome video. I've often dreamed of upgrading my cheap bicycle to premium, better performing components. But to paraphrase another piece of wisdom that you've shared, my Budweiser budget just won't support my champagne dreams. Still, you have earned my trust with your reviews in the past, so if the budget does allow at some point, I should at least give some credence to the idea that high end wheels are a meaningful and noticeable upgrade.
It would be interesting to see what the Warbird wheel do for the Aventon.
It might be nice to upgrade the wheels without spending the price of a ten year old car.
Well Done, Bike Professor Roca! Appreciate your keeping it real. Since I do hope to retire someday, I don't think carbon could ever become my priority...and I like to keep my bicycle equipment fairly simple (at this time in my life). Who knows what the future holds though? And I will certainly reference this informative video. :-)
Hey, carbon wheels are cool. I'd also like to see a mid range wheel upgrade. Like $600-$1000 wheels worth looking at. I've considered velocity but would like to hear from the guru
Watch our review on Hunt wheels.
Very interesting, thank you for sharing.
Best wheels I could find on a moderately priced bike has always been my approach to cycling.
For touring: cheap hubs - check, cheap rims - check, expensive spokes - check.
I have carbon zipp 650b on my diverge. I can tell the difference immediately between them and my zipp 30 course. The hubs are the same 77/177 for the zipps. The 650b with Donnelly MSO 42mm is more compliant and forgiving compared to the 700c with the same size MSO tires. I now have the Pathfinder pro 47mm on 650b and 42mm on my 700c. I prefer the 650b carbon.
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I noticed that Specialized power saddle. How do you like it? Have you done a review on it?
Totally agree...... I have carbon wheels in all my steel bikes (with the exception of my fatbike) and couldn't recommend them more.
Does it makes sense? Yes and No. I've restored a 1984 Miele L.S. 2x6 with shimano caliper brakes. Ambrose made in italy single wall rims. I'm riding a $400 a pair of Mavix rims with Deore M610 hubs. It rides like a dream for a vintage bike. Never owned or road a road bike before. Answer: YES!
Great review!
Super helpful! Its confirmed my belief that I need carbon wheels lol
I think the problem with exploding carbon wheels only becomes more present with larger tires, like fat bikes or at least big volume 29ers
Russ, please do a piece on the environmental impact of carbon.
Its also worth discovering Light Bicycle (lightbicycle.com), I have own multiple wheels from them and have build about 20 pairs for other people. I'm in no way affiliated with them but I can tell you that they are solid. Nextie (Nextie.com) are also decent.
Thanks again for the great video Russ! I've been tossing around the idea of getting a new wheelset for quite sometime now and I'm still indecisive lol...More specifically I've been thinking about going to 27.5 from the stock 29er on my Sutra. Ideally I'd like to try out a set before buying but I just don't see any options to do so. With your new found perspective on carbon wheels, will you be running them from here on out? How would you feel going back to alloy permanently?
what wheelset would recommend. i ride 10,000 miles a year. i dont think a really light wheelset is for my type of riding.
Given that most of my riding is either commuting or bikepacking -- how much difference does shaving hundreds of grams from the rims make when the bike is at 50 lbs or more due to load?
Great video! I was on the fence but now...
What are your thoughts on high quality carbon vs high quality aluminium? I've been considering White Industries XMR hubs laced to Velocity Blunt SS rims because if they are alumuminn and they get dinged in the middle of no where I can still limp home. But at a price of $1,000 I could also get some mid to upper mid grade carbon hoops. If my budget was around $1,000 would it make better sense to get the best aluminum wheels or solid mid grade carbon?
Misleading title, although through no fault of Russ.
It should read "SUPER expensive wheelsets"; considering how much the wheelsets in the video cost.
Expensive wheelsets could mean a $600-900 wheelset, considering the large spectrum of price/quality ratio of wheelsets out there.
Eg: I'm not convinced there would be any perceptible differences from Russ' wheelsets to my ~$630 Token Prime G23AR Dark Alloy Disc Gravel Wheelset in 700c.
(I tried similar carbon wheelsets so have experience on both).
I was looking at the Syncros Capitol 1.0 X40 carbon wheelset at 1641g?? No thank you! I will keep my aluminum at 1750g
Have I tried carbon wheels? Never thought of it! Now, much further down the road.....maybe. On gravel,... fascinating! What about for foldable, E-Bikes?
Noticed you were running 650b wheels on the 700c Warbird. How do you feel about 650b vs 700c wheels on that bike? I have the latter and am considering switching to the former. Thanks.
I like it. That extra width softens up the frame.
I would be terrified to break those chris kings. What if you smash the rim? Will they cover that in the warranty too?
Just getting better hubs can make a big difference. This year I went from a cup/cone wheelset to a sealed bearing wheelset and noticed not only was a riding faster, but when I wasn't pedalling I was coasting longer. Just having that lower friction made the bike roll so much easier. Subtracting more weight would just add to the experience.
Another case of the body snatchers? 🤔 Who is this talking from within the shell of our favourite retro-grouch Russco? 😜
Seriously, thanks for another enlightening instalment...about lightening, less so my bicycle, and more my bank account. First t’was custom steel frame (a la Breadwinner), Yokozuna brakes, now it’s carbon spinners. Oh boy...🥳
Another great video
owning an expensive component i tend to baby them instead of abuse them it saddens me.
Cool Video man. I just noticed the TRP Spyre brakes on one the bikes. I have them too on my steel commuter bike. I changed after not beeing satisfied with a similar avid brake. The TRP is not really better. Are mechanical disc brakes just so bad? I don't see why they should be but my experience is well below average. Not only compared to hydraulic discs but also to rim brakes. Is this your experience too? I'm a decent bike mechanic so setup is not an issue. I also tried different pads and discs but improvement was marginal if any.
Spyres are meh. Not all cable discs are equal. Yokozuna Ultimos are 💯
Never wanted carbon rims until now. This makes me both happy and sad HAGAHAAHAHAHAH. Thks for fun vid.
Funny fact. You can easily get 650b aluminium gravel wheels at around 1500 grams, no problems, yes a 100-150 g loss But it will make the same change. And it will save you money, lots of it. Specialized is kbown for putting pathetic wheels on their midrange carbon bikes. Carbon diverge comes with hoops that are around 2 kg, you can get 1600 gram aluminium set no problems…
Hi, what brand of shorts are those at 02:02? Thanks.
Sweet ,Confirms my plans to build a midnight special with DIY build Yeoleo rims , and sensible cost hubs and spokes,Thanks Russco
People put $10,000 wheels on a $1,000 car all the time so why not if it makes you happy.
MrTriked Theres a sucker born every minute. A fool and his money are soon parted!
Wait... I thought you were giving back the Crust Bombora? When you said “my” a few times, I wondered if it is now part of the Russ Stable...
I bought one. ruclips.net/video/N-cfoKRH_wU/видео.html
Next too a decent set of tires a good set of wheels will improve the performance of your bike.
Nice parts are nice 👍 👍
I wonder what a custom or semi-custom frame, most of which cost less than these wheels alone, would be able to accomplish for someone?
I actually think better wheels on a production frame would be the better investment.
Good to know! I wonder if since the bikes you tend to like have disc brakes and ability to take a load - ie. are stiff - whether cheaper wheels with a lithe frame yields similar results!
@@adhunt1 I think it's sort of like deciding between riding a bike wearing a heavy backpack, or riding a bike with muddy tires. Most people would probably find that riding with a few kilos in a backpack still feels faster and more nimble/comfortable than trying to handle a bicycle with even a few hundred grams of mud per wheel. That is, assuming the lighter wheels themselves are stiff enough and properly built; which is easier to achieve with stiff CF rims.
I have $650 carbon wheels from ICAN. They are for a road bike, not a gravel bike (I dont have one unfortunately). My two bikes are carbon but kind of entry level carbon. I felt a difference immediately. I am not sure about durability. I had a set of Yoeleo, same price, same feel, but they had cracks around the nipple holes after 12,000 miles, so now I have good alloy wheels on that bike. Their customer service is shit. Avoid them. I would definitely consider $$$ wheels/hubs with a lifetime warranty.
Why 650b? Is it purely the width? If it's not for running slightly wider tires on the same frame, then I don't really get it. Seems like running 700x50 would be as good if not better (again, assuming needing 650 forna wider tire than the frame allows for 700).
Short rider. Big tires, no toe overlap. Also lighter than 700c equivalent. More light casing and tread options at that width than 700.
Ditto. At 5 ft 0 in, having a bike built for 650b versus 700 is night and day in terms of fit and handling.
Got it. I've have 6'1" prejudice.
I own carbon wheels designed for road, gravel, and mtb. Carbon (and high engagement hubs) when road racing is meaningful, largely for aerodynamics. Carbon wheels for gravel are nice but mostly about looks and status. The larger volume tire completely ruins any aerodynamic benefit. Carbon wheels for mtb make sense if you ride lots of elevation or want to race. Unless you’re at a healthy weight losing just 5-10 lbs will yield greater enjoyment than buying carbon wheels.
Path Less Pedaled I’m guessing you don’t ride much technical singletrack/mtb. Rapid acceleration is required in mtb that’s rarely necessary for gravel. Steep technical climbs or features make winding up rotating mass as fast as possible more important. Even for mtb, carbon wheels are minimally important. I’d say rapid rear hub engagement matters more but nowadays that usually comes with carbon hoops. Also, getting the bike off the ground is an integral part of mtb so I’d say there are additional benefits to weight savings that aren’t nearly as important to gravel/mixed surface riding.
6:42 instead of a $2000 nice set of wheels there is an alternative - I added a motor... :-)
On a more serious note, after you've swapped out the nice wheels and ridden your stock wheels for a couple of weeks, do you still miss the nice wheels?
A problem with the expensive carbon wheelsets is they are usually hookeless rims. IF you are using Compass tyres or tubeless tires hookless rims are higher risk for blowing off tyres. Cheap alloy wheelsets tubeless are pretty much all hooked
Thanks for the review, I definitely like the ENVE rims and agree i27 is the perfect width for a 42-48c tire width. I also think getting a wider carbon rim would maintain a better supple feel as opposed to narrow rims with light 💡 bulb shape tires mounted. My only concern is the lack of give with carbon rims. As we know aluminum rims provide some vibration damping, especially 3x lacing and thinner db spokes.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen my Seven Evergreen SL bike but it’s built for comfort and all day rides, I’ll never enter a race and will just be touring the Philippines with it, maybe some bike packing. I have Stan’s Crest rims and Teravail 700x38c tires. I’m considering a 650c wheel with wider inner rim width i27 to i30. I’ve used Velocity Blunts and Blunt SS, they’re really soft but easily damaged, so maybe carbon is the way to go. Keep posted your great VLOGs and thanks again
expensive is different for everyone. For me spending 200$ on a wheel is expensive.Rather the wheel is aluminum steel or carbon..i think if someones wants to upgrade cheaper bikes its their business and they see value in it. Not really for anyone to determine it for them..my comment sounds like im mad and going off,but im not..lol..just clearing that up :D
What are your thoughts on the environmental impact of carbon fibre?
Did you notice any difference in the sound? I have family that are very into racing and have always noticed at races that carbon wheels are very loud.
That said having borrowed their wheels occasionally the difference is dramatic.
If you can afford it, it's like coffee, life is too short not have the coffee you want and the wheels you want.